Yoke for wrecking-cranes.



J. W. RILEY. YOKE FOR WRBGKING ORANES.

APPLICATION FILED APRJG', 1914.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

wuewooz J R 3 Elam-aw q vvlimeooeo JOHN W; RILEY, 0F WAVERLY, NEW YORK.

YOKE FOR WRECKING-CRANE S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 26, 19315.

Application filed April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,273.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. RILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waverly, in the county of Tioga and State of New York, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Yokes for Wrecking-Cranes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to yokes for use in connection with wrecking cranes and is more particularly adapted to be suspended upon the hook or other attaching means of the hoisting mechanism of the crane for engaging the draw-bar of a car for hoisting the same when the car has become derailed or ditched occasioned by wrecks or other causes.

A further object of this invention resides in the construction of the yoke adapted to be placed over the draw-head of the car for engaging the draw-bar in the rear of the draw-head and to be retained thereon by the engagement of the yoke with the draw- A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of a yoke which can be readily attached to the said draw-bar of a car for hoisting the same or detached therefrom when desired, thus eliminating the necessity of the use of cumbersome chains which now have to be resorted to.

A still further object of this invention resides in the construction of a yoke for hoisting cars which is simple in construction, durable and eflicient in purpose, of great strength and which can be manufactured and sold upon the market at a nominal cost.

These and other objects will more fully appear and the nature of the invention more clearly understood by the construction and, application of the invention as described in the following specification, defined in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1, is a perspective view of one end of a car showing my invention as applied to the draw-bar of a car and the attaching end of the hoisting apparatus of a carrying crane. Fig. 2, is a side view of the yoke, and, Fig. 3 is a front view of the yoke showing the enlarged aperture therein, for passing over the draw-head and the means therein for embracing the draw-bar for retaining the yoke upon the said draw-bar.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 denotes one end or" a car, 2 the draw-head thereon, 3 the lower end of the hoisting mechanism of a wrecking crane, and i a hook secured in the lower end of the hoisting mechanism.

It will be understood that a draw-head is the enlarged part of the coupling device whereby the cars are removably attached to each other, a draw-bar includes the drawhead and the squared portion which extends under the body of the car and is attached thereto.

5 represents the yoke constituting my invention, the yoke being provided with the enlarged or broadened base member 6 rovided with the vertical side members of like dimensions as that of the base members 6, the upper portions of the side members 7 being slightly reduced in dimensions as shown at 8, the upper portions 8 of the vertical side members terminating in the convergent end members 9, the members 9 terminating in the arcuate head member 10.

The base 6, and also the upper portions of the vertical side walls 7 and 8 respectively, the convergent end members and the arcuate head member 10 are sufliciently spaced apart to provide an enlarged opening 11 therebetween, the opening 11 being of suflicient di mensions for adapting the yoke 5 to be readily passed over the draw-head 2 of the car 1.

Within the upper edge of the base memher 6 within the opening 11 is provided the elongated notch 12, the notch 12 being of sufiicient size to permit the draw-bar to be snugly seated therein, and at each end of the notch 12 are formed the square shoulders 13 and 14. All angles forming the notch are right angles to form square shoulders to said notch, the shoulders 13 and 1A being designed to engage sides of the draw-bar at the rear of the draw-head 2 for efliciently preventing the accidental displacement of the yoke 5 from the draw-bar while in the act of hoisting the end of the car 1. The arcuate head member 10 is designed to engage the hook A or other attaching means secured in the end of the hoisting mechanism 3 of the wrecking crane.

In the use of the invention for hoisting derailed or wrecked cars, the head 10 of the yoke 5 is attached to the hook A of the hoisting mechanism 3, the yoke is then passed over the draw-head 2, which passes through the opening 11 whereupon the yoke being thus positioned, the hoisting mechanism 3 is started upward, thus carrying the yoke 5 in upward direction, this movement of the yoke 5 necessarily causing the draw-bar of the coupling to be seated within the slot 12 of the yoke and. the shoulders 13 and 14 at each end thereof engages the sides of the drawbar, whereby the yoke being in secured engagement with the draw-bar of the car, the latter may be efficiently and safely hoisted and conveyed to any point or place desired.

The yoke may be formed of any desired material, preferably cast steel, and of sufli cient dimensions to resist the strains of loaded cars, and the same is readily attached to or detached from the draw-bar of a car, nd supplants the use of the cumbersome chains now used, which chains readily break, thus necessitating delay in repairing the same, and as time is a very important factor for removing wreckage from the obstructed railroad track, it will be readily seen that I have invented a yoke wherein the wreckage may be efliciently and expeditiously removed from the track and that the delays occasioned by the use of chains or cables are thereby wholly obviated.

While Iihave here shown and described the preferr'ed'form of my invention I hereby reserve the right to make such alterations and variations therein as I may deem expedient from time to time, and which will neither depart from the spirit of this invention nor conflict with the scope of the claim.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A yoke of the class described, comprising vertical side members, convergent end members, an arcuate head connecting said convergent end members, and a broad base member having anelongated notch in its upper edge, said notch having square shoulders at its ends, whereby a secure seating for a draw-bar is provided.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR D. SEBRING, J. WV. CLARK.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

